1,721,266 research outputs found
CONSOLE_WP3_Task3.2_Pan-EU survey of farmers and other rural landowners_IT_UNIBO_2022.10.28_v02
Full text linkThe dataset contains the data collected through the Italian - Emilia-Romagna region - survey on farmers/
land managers/forests owners, carried out within the WP3 activities of the CONSOLE project for the purposes of the Choice Experiment exercise, related to the investigation of the innovative contract solutions under analysis for CONSOLE. The dataset contains 25 records observed with respect to 16 variables
How much reliable are the integrated ‘live’ data? A validation strategy proposal for the non-parametric micro statistical matching
No full textThe integration of different data sources is a widely discussed topic among both the researchers and the Official Statistics. Integrating data helps to contain costs and time required by new data collections. The non-parametric micro Statistical Matching (SM) allows to integrate ‘live’ data resorting only to the observed information, potentially avoiding the misspecification bias and speeding the computational effort. Despite these pros, the assessment of the integration goodness when we use this method is not robust. Moreover, several applications comply with some commonly accepted practices which recommend e.g. to use the biggest data set as donor. We propose a validation strategy to assess the integration goodness. We apply it to investigate these practices and to explore how different combinations of the SM techniques and distance functions perform in terms of the reliability of the synthetic (complete) data set generated. The validation strategy takes advantage of the relation existing among the variables pre-and-post the integration. The results show that ‘the biggest, the best’ rule must not be considered mandatory anymore. Indeed, the integration goodness increases in relation to the variability of the matching variables rather than with respect to the dimensionality ratio between the recipient and the donor data set
Le politiche agro-ambientali in Europa, America e Australia: quale potenziale per lo sviluppo di aste di contratti in Europa?
Full text linkL’Unione Europea (UE), l’Australia (Aus) e gli Stati Uniti (US) hanno introdotto all’interno delle rispettive politiche agricole, attraverso l’utilizzo di crescenti risorse finanziarie, misure capaci di conciliare le esigenze produttive e di mercato con la conservazione dell’ambiente e lo sviluppo sostenibile. Un aspetto comune, di cruciale importanza per tutti i programmi analizzati, riguarda l’efficienza e l’efficacia delle misure e dei pagamenti agro-ambientali. A livello Europeo, nonostante il dibattito in letteratura sulla possibilità di migliorare il rapporto costo-efficacia degli schemi agro-ambientali mediante pagamenti basati su aste di contratti, non ci sono state ancora sperimentazioni ne applicazioni concrete. In Australia e negli Stati Uniti invece, già da diversi anni, tali strumenti vengono impiegati con successo nei principali programmi agro-ambientali. La ricerca vuole contribuire ad analizzare le soluzioni alternative nel disegno dei pagamenti adottate nei principali programmi agro-ambientali in Australia e negli Stati Uniti e valutare la possibilità per i programmi UE di introdurre in via sperimentale le aste di contratti al fine di ridurre le rendite informative degli agricoltori e aumentare l’efficienza delle misure
Impatto degli investimenti in R&S sull’agricoltura europea
No full textLa crescita della produzione agricola a livello mondiale è stata spinta dall’adozione di innovazioni generate dai risultati della ricerca. A partire da Griliches (1958), gli economisti hanno cercato di capire in che modo il settore ricerca e sviluppo (R&S) contribuisce all’evoluzione della produttività del settore agricolo, con lo scopo finale di stimare la redditività degli investimenti pubblici in ricerca. A livello globale, nonostante diversi studi riportino tassi di rendimento (Tdr) degli investimenti in R&S in agricoltura molto elevati (Alston et al., 2000; Hurley et al., 2014), si assiste, nelle ultime decadi, ad una riduzione generalizzata nella spesa in R&S (Pardey et al., 2006; Piesse et al. 2010).
In questo quadro generale, tuttavia, i contributi in letteratura non riescono ancora a chiarire né a definire la dinamica delle ricadute degli investimenti in R&S sulla performance dell’agricoltura Europea, soprattutto se si tenta di esplorare il tema a livello di Paese membro. Tale limitazione è dovuta alla inapplicabilità al contesto europeo delle metodologie analitiche ritenute in letteratura maggiormente efficaci nello studio degli impatti della ricerca, le quali richiedono serie storiche di almeno 50 anni e dati affidabili (Alston et al., 2000).
Il presente articolo si pone l’obiettivo di studiare i dati disponibili su spesa in R&S e produttività agricola, a livello di Stato membro, al fine di selezionare elementi informativi (dati) utili alla definizione e allo studio della produttività della ricerca europea in agricoltura
Assessing the impact of RDP agri-environment measures on the use of nitrogen-based mineral fertilizers through spatial econometrics: The case study of Emilia-Romagna (Italy)
Full text linkAgriculture is the main source of nitrogen loading (EEA, 2012) and is the sector with the largest residual emission reduction potential (Sutton et al., 2011). Moreover, surpluses of nitrogen are forecast to grow in the next decade (FAO, 2012). The objective of this study is to evaluate the determinants of the use of N-based mineral fertilizers in agriculture and the effectiveness of Agri-Environmental Schemes (AES) implemented in Emilia-Romagna, Italy, in preventing nitrate pollution.
The indicator N mineral fertilizer application rate in agriculture was first estimated at the municipality level for the years 2000 and 2010. Thereafter, we performed a Moran's statistics and a LISA (Local Indicators of Spatial Association; Anselin, 1995) analysis to test the data for local spatial autocorrelations. Finally, in order to provide a quantitative evaluation of the impact of the agri-environmental measures on the application rate of N fertilizers, we constructed an aspatial model (Ordinary Least Square model) and two spatial models (spatial lag and error models). All of the models are able to explain more than 70% of the change in the N mineral fertilizer application rate between the years 2000 and 2010 (the dependent variable).
The results indicate that the observed decrease in the application rate of N mineral fertilizers in the considered decade was positively influenced by both the uptake of specific AES and the location in Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZ). Among the policy variables, the participation in AES is less important than the location in a NVZ for explaining the reduction in the N mineral fertilizer application rate in the municipalities of Emilia-Romagna. Other significant variables are farm size, population density and share of certified organic surface in the utilized agricultural area (UAA). The availability of finer scale data for the estimation of changes in nitrogen inputs would improve the robustness of the models
Integrating spatial econometric information and optimisation models to improve agri-environmental payment design: a resource allocation model for Emilia-Romagna (Italy)
Full text linkThe efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the European Agri-Environmental Measures (AEMs) depends on policy design variables, spatial targeting and participant selection process. This paper develops an optimisation model jointly aimed at optimal AEMs targeting and payment setting. The model tests the potential integration of spatial information into optimisation models simulating spatially differentiated payment mechanism for AEMs in Emilia-Romagna (Italy). The results highlight a significant cost saving with differentiated payments. Spatial information modelled as a proxy of the willingness to accept the payment supports the fine-tuning of the model. The study highlights the importance of using the information on spatial differentiation in optimisation tools searching for optimal incentive-compatible targeting
Water harvesting reservoirs with internal water reallocation: A case study in Emilia Romagna, Italy
No full textThe existence of formal water markets in the European context is limited to the Spanish case, despite its rationale being deeply rooted in the economic literature. In Italy, formal water markets are widely criticized and they are not supported by the national legislation. However, due to some specificity, a form of water reallocation exists in a number of rainwater harvesting reservoirs in the North of Italy. The aims of the analysis are the description of such an institutional arrangement and the economic assessment of the reallocation mechanism, including the distribution of its gains. We formulate a semi-empirical mathematical programming model to study the outcomes of different institutional scenarios. The results suggest that the reallocation increases the gross margins of the area, and that the distribution of the gains are in favour of water buyers. Despite its inefficiencies, the institutional arrangement present in the area adds flexibility to a system that is likely to face major changes in the next decades
Distinguishing the innovation behaviour of micro, small and medium food enterprises
No full textThe European economy, and particularly the food sector, is characterised by SMEs. Networking represents for SMEs an opportunity to meet their needs in terms of know-how, and technological and financial resources with the main purpose of fostering innovation and facing global competition. Most scientific studies investigating networking for innovation focus on SMEs as a whole without exploring possible differences between SMEs. An important question to be posed is whether the firms within groups of SMEs behave the same in terms of innovation. The purpose of this paper is to understand whether different ‘innovation profiles’ of Italian food SMEs can be distinguished and to identify the structural factors associated with different profiles, with particular attention to size and networking. The methodology consists of a cluster analysis on data obtained by standardized on-line questionnaires compiled by Italian agri-food SMEs. Moreover, besides the identification of possible heterogeneity within the SME group with regard to innovation behaviour, the paper presents further value by providing useful information on surveyed Italian food SMEs in terms of firm structure and innovation
The link-match tale: new microdata from unit level association. Linkage e matching per generare nuovi database integrati a livello individuale.
No full textConnections among Big Data, administrative registers, general censuses and smart surveying are receiving increasing attention in several domains where statistics is more and more important. When there are different data sets at hand, Record Linkage and Statistical Matching are usually applied to integrate the information which they separately collect. Sometimes, naming and methodological features of the two methods have been shallowly used, contributing to the confusion about their potential applications and scopes. This work aims to spread light on the specific purposes they are meant, clarify to what extent they are similar and how much they differ when they are used interchangeably, discussing a toy example employing the Collection Faure data
Review of Multicriteria Methodologies and Tools for the Evaluation of the Provision of Ecosystem Services
No full textAn ecosystem is defined as an area, place or environment where organisms interact with the physical and chemical environment. Ecosystems provide a variety of benefits to people that are divided into market and non-market ecosystem goods or ecosystem services (ES) and classified in multiple ways. A wide range of methodologies is available to value changes in ES. The type of valuation technique chosen depends on the type of ES to be valued, as well as the quantity and quality of data available. Since ES provide multiple benefits, they are valued for a range of reasons and researchers must employ valuation methods that better match this diversity. How to compare objects with multiple characteristics has been the focus of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA). In this paper, a literature review has been performed that covers an overview of various methodologies that seek to improve the knowledge base of existing tools and methodologies in ES evaluation. The focus will be on studies that used MCDA for an ES assessment; attempting to cover a representative sample of case studies of ES assessments through MCDA. We also discuss advantages and disadvantages of different methodological choices in ecosystem service evaluation. We conclude that the ES concept is currently used in a range of studies with widely differing aims creating difficulties for policy makers as well as researchers since it makes it difficult to assess the credibility of assessment results. MCDA techniques can indeed help structuring the problem and supporting a more transparent decision-making
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